John Edwards: What did he buy his mistress?

John Edwards was indicted today on charges of illegal campaign contributions Photo: Reuters

Former presidential candidate John Edwards was indicted today on charges that he funneled $925,000 to cover up an extramarital affair during his 2008 campaign run.

The money allegedly came from illegal campaign contributions: $725,000 from heiress Rachel Bunny Mellon and $200,000 from Fred Baron, Edwards' former finance chairman.

The Federal Election Act imposes a maximum of $2,300 in contributions from a single individual.

According to a compilation of multiple reports, the funds primarily covered the fairly lavish living expenses of Rielle Hunter and her child conceived with Edwards.

While Hunter was pregnant in 2007, she was reportedly put up in the Governor's Club gated community in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

A year later, both Hunter and Edward's former aide Andrew Young moved to another gated community, this time in Santa Barbara. During this time it seems that Hunter and the child shared a home with Young, his wife, and his children in a rental that was reportedly $59,000 a month. There are also reports of $25,000 spent at the Four Seasons Hotel in Santa Barbara on behalf of Hunter and Young.

Andrew Young initially claimed paternity of the child, Francis Quinn Hunter, and there are unconfirmed rumors that he was paid for his role in the cover-up. Young has said that Edwards knew about the financial support, which included medical expenses and chartered airfare in addition to living accommodations.

An UK-based report alleges that Andrew Young spent $28,000 on a BMW for Hunter.

In a 2010 interview with GQ, Hunter admitted that Edwards provided her with some financial support but insisted he did not pay her rent.